Assignment 1

2 Found helpful • 12 Pages • Essays / Projects • Year: Pre-2021

Questions 1. Identify what is the functional unit used in the study. Is the functional unit explicitly defined? (3 marks) a. If not, is the chosen method or functional unit obvious or implied in the article? b. If yes, is their selected functional unit appropriate – why or why not? 2. Whether a functional unit was stated in the paper or not, give an example of a functional unit that would not be appropriate (but still related to the subject at hand) and explain how it would introduce error into the assessment. (3 marks) 3. Does the introduction/overview sufficiently summarise the motivation for the study – how so? What is the motivation of the study? (2 marks) 4. List 2 possible related but different studies that could also be done to expand the knowledge area. Explain why/how they would each be useful, identify the issues or difficulties that could be encountered with conducting the new studies and how you would resolve these issues. (4 marks) e.g. If you had just read an LCA comparing 2 types of coffee, then it could also be useful to study: ‐ a comparison of coffee with tea. Useful because.... One possible issue could be that the functional unit definition might need to be different because... To resolve this a new function unit could be... ‐ a comparison of coffee produced in different countries. Useful because... Issues cold be data reliability because....  As well as weighing because... To resolve the first issue average data from the Fairtrade organisation can be used for... To resolve the issue of weighing it would be necessary to.... 5. Do you detect any bias in this study? Who are the authors and how might they be biased? (2 marks) 6. Give 2 assumptions or simplifications that have been made in this study and state whether applying the assumption is more likely to result in an over‐estimation or under‐estimation of impacts. (4 marks) a. Do the assumptions seem reasonable to you – why or why not? b. Has the author explained or given justification for the assumptions? 7. Have the system boundaries been clearly explained and justified by the author? Whether you answer yes or no, identify what are the system boundaries used in this study (implied or stated). Do these system boundaries seem reasonable to you – why or why not? (3 marks) 8. Which impact assessment categories are considered? Which ones are excluded or ignored? Does this selection seem reasonable to you – why or why not? (3 marks) 9. Which aspects of the impact assessment are included: Characterisation? Normalisation? Weighting? Data quality analysis? In each case, if included, was this done quantitatively by data processing or qualitatively via explanation? And, if not included, do you think it could have been beneficial and why? (4 marks) 10. Is the interpretation transparent? Is it clear how/why conclusions are being drawn? Would you say that conclusions are more objective or subjective? Give examples to explain your answer. (3 marks) 11. What are the most important lessons learnt from this LCA, i.e. about which alternative has lower impacts or which parts of the life cycle contribute the most impacts? In your opinion, were the results surprising or to be expected? (2 marks) 12. Is enough information provided in the article such at this study could be repeated? Justify your answer (2 marks) 13. With regards to the reference list: Are there many or few references, and what is the quality of the sources, i.e. do they appear to be reputable? Do you think the references provide sufficient backing to support the results and claims in this LCA? (2 marks) 14. Answer either a or b: (4 marks) a. If you think the references are sufficient, then state how 2 of the references serve to either clarify a point or add weight to an assertion. b. If you think the references are insufficient, then state 2 assertions in the report that you think should have been referenced that were either insufficiently referenced or not at all. 15. The following question should address strengths or weaknesses not identified already in the previous questions. Answer either a or b: (4 marks) a. Are there weaknesses or bits of information missing from this LCA report? Give 2 examples, i.e. important details omitted or something not explained clearly enough. How could it be improved? b. If you find this is a very well conducted and written LCA with no room for improvement then what are 2 of its strengths? Give 2 examples. i.e. specific aspects of the report structure or content that make it useful, informative or easy to understand.

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